After being dismissed for 85, Quiney suggested that scoring a hundred was just a starting point for batsmen these days and that people who mattered looked for "big scores and for people to bat for long periods of time". He meant it in terms of his own quest for selection and probably with the knowledge that previous players have accumulated first-class run tallies into the thousands before they were picked for the national side.

On the other side of the divide is Kallis, a stalwart of the South African game who has achieved so much that some would argue he has nothing left to prove. Yet, that statement applies aptly to him because recently, a hundred has not been enough.

Since his first double-century - remarkably it came after 142 Tests - Kallis has been close to unstoppable. He has scored six hundreds in 13 matches, including another double-ton and three knocks of over 140. It could be a sign of the times, as Quiney hinted, or a maturing of Kallis the batsman, but his want for better scores is insatiable.

Kallis could not quite put his finger on what has brought about this run."I've just been batting really well for the last couple of years," he said. "I've been really comfortable, my strike-rate has been higher and I have had a bit of luck as well."

While there may not be an exact science to identify what brought about Kallis' recent form , two things stand out as clear motivating factors which weren't there in the past. He is either spurred on by team situations which call for his leadership, or by the confidence of the man at the other end of the wicket. Most often that person is Hashim Amla, and he has played a telling role in Kallis' form.

The first instance was demonstrated against India at Newlands in 2010. South Africa faced a series defeat at home, going into the contest at 1-1 against the then No.1 ranked side in the world. At 34 for 2 in the first innings, Kallis walked in and his knock of 161 took them to safety. Although he suffered a side strain in that match, he returned to score another hundred in the second innings and was instrumental in the eventual draw.

His next big score was his second double-century, against Sri Lanka at Newlands. Again, South Africa had a series on the line and were in trouble early at 56 for 2. Kallis had the poise of Alviro Petersen and the audacity of AB de Villiers to partner him through to 224.

At the Oval in July, Amla's role became evident. As he was crafting his way to a record triple-century, Kallis carved out an unbeaten 182. Later, Dale Steyn revealed Kallis' selflessness when he said Kallis had told the dressing room that he didn't want the time to go on to complete a third double-hundred, and would prefer Graeme Smith to declare if it meant the team would win.

The Brisbane hundred is the fourth big score and again it was with Amla alongside him. The pair has now become South Africa's leading partnership of all time which is an indicator that the two are comfortable batting together.

For a lot of his career, Kallis has not had a stable No.3 above him. The revolving door has seen the likes of Gary Kirsten, Daryll Cullinan, Smith, Jacques Rudolph and Boeta Dippenaar pass through it, and none besides Kirsten enjoyed a fruitful pairing with Kallis. Some, like Smith, were there only to bide time. Others, like Dippenaar, were going to be too fragile to establish themselves in the role permanently. With that in mind, Kallis had to become the default repairer in case things went wrong in the rest of the line-up.

His approach had to often steer to the conservative. Once Amla had planted roots into the No.3 spot, Kallis started to show more flamboyance a bit more regularly.

Kallis' centuries are almost perfectly split into two halves: those which came before Amla arrived, and those that were scored after. Kallis played for 11 years before Amla featured in the team and scored 23 centuries in that period. Since Amla cemented his place in the South African side, in 2006, Kallis has scored 21 Test tons.

Amla's presence has contributed to the overall stability of South Africa's line-up. With Smith a long-time opener and De Villiers also building towards a decade as an international cricketer, South Africa's line-up has taken on a familiarly dependable shape.

Some could think of that as predictable, but for Kallis it seems to have created the environment for him to thrive in. He even speaks about his own batting as a team activity, rather than one done in isolation. "We have been performing well together for a few years now," he said at the end of the third day's play. He didn't add that in particular, he has been outdoing everyone else, but we already know that.

@mr marlboro19 : Please do not make up false statistics if you wish to slate a particular player. With regards to Lara and Ponting having ODI strike rates in the 90's, they actually have ODI strike rates of 80.39 and 79.51 respectively. This is not that much higher than Kallis' 73. By the way it has been stated many times by the SA team that Kallis had the job of anchor, it would have been irresponsible and selfish of him to have gone out hitting because he wanted to improve his strike rate. If you want proof of this, take a look at how Kallis' Strike rate has shot up in recent years while Amla takes on the role of anchor, freeing up Kallis to bat how he pleases.

POSTED BY
marlboro19
on | November 13, 2012, 18:51 GMT

And nobody bothers to mention strike rate of Mr. Kallis? Kallis has a strike rate of bellow 46 in tests and bellow 73 in ODIs. Lara, Ponting and tendulkar all have strike rates touching 60s in tests and around 90s in ODIs. Sehwag with an average of 51 and strike rate of 80+ in tests is, arguably , far better BATSMAN than Kallis.

POSTED BY
nilesh91
on | November 13, 2012, 17:59 GMT

@ binojpeter : spot on mate. @pronoysircar: nice answer.

POSTED BY
BillyCC
on | November 13, 2012, 10:42 GMT

@Lara4life501, what are you talking about? Read my post again and you will see that I mentioned Lara and Tendulkar in the same sentence. They both had quality moments against McGrath and Warne. If I had to pick though, McGrath dominated Lara to a greater extent than Tendulkar. As a result, Tendulkar was more consistent, Lara was hot and cold but had the better moments. It's a 50/50 call.

POSTED BY
Amawas
on | November 13, 2012, 8:55 GMT

All the talk about sachin and Kallis, i would like to add that considering stats kallis beats tendulkar alone in batting.his bowling is a plus hence he is more valuable player then tendulker. tendulker has the back of strong indian lobby nothing else

POSTED BY
on | November 12, 2012, 19:43 GMT

@ Rohan Kapoor dude I am also a big fan of sachin but that does mean kallis is not a great batsman for me...if you look up to batsman by no of centuries he scored then you are mistaking...FYI sachin has played 197 international innings more then kallis....and also if you look at the average of both the players i regret to say you that kallis has overtaken sachin in both form of game..sachin test ave is 55.08 in 314 inngs and kallis ave is 56.94 in 262 inngs, whereas is ODI sachin ave is 44.83 in 452 inngs and kallis ave is 45.26 in 307 inngs..I must also tel u kallis have got 550 international wicket(280+270) and sachin has got 199(45+154)..now if you look evenly kallis is a great cricketer ...sachin is a great batsman...

POSTED BY
HumungousFungus
on | November 12, 2012, 17:36 GMT

I am delighted that Kallis is finally starting to get some of the recognition late in his career that seemed to pass him by when he was younger. Perhaps, as some suggest, it is simply because there were considerably more 'great' cricketers around ten / fifteen years ago than today. Whether this is true or not, you can only play what is in front of you. Kallis is 10th all time in Test batting averages, 4th all time in runs, and 2nd all time in centuries, as well as being 29th all time in wickets, and 3rd all time in catches. Pause to digest those numbers for a moment...That his performances seem to be getting better with age (definitely with bat and in the field, at least) is a cause for celebration. Because when he finally retires, cricket, and SA cricket in particular will be immensely poorer for it. Is he as great a cricketer as Warne? Or Lara? Probably not. There is no shame in that. Is he the greatest all round cricketer of our lifetimes? Yes. And it is not even close.

POSTED BY
Lara4life501
on | November 12, 2012, 16:38 GMT

@BillyCC-Please, you must be dreaming...Sachin had more quality moments against McGrath and Warne than Lara???...Give me a break!!! Get on to youtube and see 1999 West Indies vs Australia in West Indies see Lara's 213 and 153 not out, both rated by Wisden as two of the greatest innings EVER PLAYED IN TEST CRICKET behind only the greatest of them all Sir Don Bradman!!! Brian Lara never visited Australia without scoring a test century, the same cant be said for Tendulkar!

POSTED BY
on | November 12, 2012, 14:52 GMT

@philip-You say kallis has the same batting ability as sachin. What a big joke!!!Sachin has 40 international hundreds more than kallis and a one day international double ton vs your team,which kallis can only dream of achieving even on flat tracks...

POSTED BY
on | November 12, 2012, 14:45 GMT

@syed-In that terms,kallis is 10 times better and valuable than your Inzihamam and mendhed....Hahahaha...

POSTED BY
on | November 14, 2012, 8:39 GMT

@mr marlboro19 : Please do not make up false statistics if you wish to slate a particular player. With regards to Lara and Ponting having ODI strike rates in the 90's, they actually have ODI strike rates of 80.39 and 79.51 respectively. This is not that much higher than Kallis' 73. By the way it has been stated many times by the SA team that Kallis had the job of anchor, it would have been irresponsible and selfish of him to have gone out hitting because he wanted to improve his strike rate. If you want proof of this, take a look at how Kallis' Strike rate has shot up in recent years while Amla takes on the role of anchor, freeing up Kallis to bat how he pleases.

POSTED BY
marlboro19
on | November 13, 2012, 18:51 GMT

And nobody bothers to mention strike rate of Mr. Kallis? Kallis has a strike rate of bellow 46 in tests and bellow 73 in ODIs. Lara, Ponting and tendulkar all have strike rates touching 60s in tests and around 90s in ODIs. Sehwag with an average of 51 and strike rate of 80+ in tests is, arguably , far better BATSMAN than Kallis.

POSTED BY
nilesh91
on | November 13, 2012, 17:59 GMT

@ binojpeter : spot on mate. @pronoysircar: nice answer.

POSTED BY
BillyCC
on | November 13, 2012, 10:42 GMT

@Lara4life501, what are you talking about? Read my post again and you will see that I mentioned Lara and Tendulkar in the same sentence. They both had quality moments against McGrath and Warne. If I had to pick though, McGrath dominated Lara to a greater extent than Tendulkar. As a result, Tendulkar was more consistent, Lara was hot and cold but had the better moments. It's a 50/50 call.

POSTED BY
Amawas
on | November 13, 2012, 8:55 GMT

All the talk about sachin and Kallis, i would like to add that considering stats kallis beats tendulkar alone in batting.his bowling is a plus hence he is more valuable player then tendulker. tendulker has the back of strong indian lobby nothing else

POSTED BY
on | November 12, 2012, 19:43 GMT

@ Rohan Kapoor dude I am also a big fan of sachin but that does mean kallis is not a great batsman for me...if you look up to batsman by no of centuries he scored then you are mistaking...FYI sachin has played 197 international innings more then kallis....and also if you look at the average of both the players i regret to say you that kallis has overtaken sachin in both form of game..sachin test ave is 55.08 in 314 inngs and kallis ave is 56.94 in 262 inngs, whereas is ODI sachin ave is 44.83 in 452 inngs and kallis ave is 45.26 in 307 inngs..I must also tel u kallis have got 550 international wicket(280+270) and sachin has got 199(45+154)..now if you look evenly kallis is a great cricketer ...sachin is a great batsman...

POSTED BY
HumungousFungus
on | November 12, 2012, 17:36 GMT

I am delighted that Kallis is finally starting to get some of the recognition late in his career that seemed to pass him by when he was younger. Perhaps, as some suggest, it is simply because there were considerably more 'great' cricketers around ten / fifteen years ago than today. Whether this is true or not, you can only play what is in front of you. Kallis is 10th all time in Test batting averages, 4th all time in runs, and 2nd all time in centuries, as well as being 29th all time in wickets, and 3rd all time in catches. Pause to digest those numbers for a moment...That his performances seem to be getting better with age (definitely with bat and in the field, at least) is a cause for celebration. Because when he finally retires, cricket, and SA cricket in particular will be immensely poorer for it. Is he as great a cricketer as Warne? Or Lara? Probably not. There is no shame in that. Is he the greatest all round cricketer of our lifetimes? Yes. And it is not even close.

POSTED BY
Lara4life501
on | November 12, 2012, 16:38 GMT

@BillyCC-Please, you must be dreaming...Sachin had more quality moments against McGrath and Warne than Lara???...Give me a break!!! Get on to youtube and see 1999 West Indies vs Australia in West Indies see Lara's 213 and 153 not out, both rated by Wisden as two of the greatest innings EVER PLAYED IN TEST CRICKET behind only the greatest of them all Sir Don Bradman!!! Brian Lara never visited Australia without scoring a test century, the same cant be said for Tendulkar!

POSTED BY
on | November 12, 2012, 14:52 GMT

@philip-You say kallis has the same batting ability as sachin. What a big joke!!!Sachin has 40 international hundreds more than kallis and a one day international double ton vs your team,which kallis can only dream of achieving even on flat tracks...

POSTED BY
on | November 12, 2012, 14:45 GMT

@syed-In that terms,kallis is 10 times better and valuable than your Inzihamam and mendhed....Hahahaha...

POSTED BY
Black-Zero
on | November 12, 2012, 11:21 GMT

why do people "chose" one or the other??i am a Pakistani and i love Sachin and Kallis.they are both class acts.period.

POSTED BY
EngineerKhan
on | November 12, 2012, 9:28 GMT

Run Sachin Run. Kallis Dad is approaching you (44 tests and counting)..Hahaha

POSTED BY
muthavimal
on | November 12, 2012, 7:10 GMT

Jacques Kallis is an awsome player. Any day better than Sachin.

POSTED BY
on | November 12, 2012, 6:54 GMT

Some of you have taken my comment in the wrong spirit. Kallis is by far, my favorite cricketer among the current crop. The comment was not intended to demean his Himalayan achievements. Technically, he is one of the most compact batsmen of our generation.

My reference to Warne, McGrath and the likes is not to hint that Kallis was a chicken against them. It is more related to the fact that there are almost no bowlers at the moment who can produce something out of the ordinary to get set batsmen out. So, if you are batting at 50 odd runs, you can rest easy. If you go and watch Warne's 300th test wicket, he "schemed" to get Kallis out after he had got 45 off 110 balls. That's the big difference.

POSTED BY
muthavimal
on | November 12, 2012, 6:17 GMT

I have no hesitation whatsoever to call Jacques Kallis better cricketer than our so called god of cricket Sachin Tendulkar. It seems certain that he will break all Test Recirds of Tendulkar very soon. If you compare him with Tendulkar he is better in all fields of cricket viz.Batting, Bowling and fielding. Now Kallis can be called God of Cricket.

POSTED BY
Mark00
on | November 12, 2012, 4:56 GMT

Kallis is an exceptional athlete with exceptional discipline but not an exceptionally talented batsman.

POSTED BY
g.narsimha
on | November 12, 2012, 4:39 GMT

What a plyer, he single handedly robed INDIA off its historic maiden series win , with out his grand show particularly in the decider , the series would have gone to INDIA best player amongst the present lot .

POSTED BY
c3vzn
on | November 12, 2012, 4:35 GMT

@SCC08 Your definition of a team player is either being able to bat, bowl and field well or having a good strike rate. If it was the first definition then every cricketer plays for themselves except for all rounders. If it was the second case then you are wrong because Sachin's strike rate is about 10 balls better than Kallis in both forms. Kallis is no doubt the greatest cricketer in the last few decades but as a batsman he isn't a great deal more consistent than Tendulkar if you look at the averages, especially considering Sachin has played for much longer and is still able to maintain such a high standard. I think you are just annoyed at how many people worship him.

POSTED BY
Nadeem1976
on | November 12, 2012, 4:22 GMT

amla and AB deviliers are infect behind SA to reach number 1 spot in the world.
Amla is playing unbelievable cricket both in test and ODI and AB is just exceptional all around.
Kallis needed support group and finally he got all the batsmen to play freely around them. Credit goes to team work and great play by Kallis he is really great.

POSTED BY
on | November 12, 2012, 4:05 GMT

Kallis if he plays to the 2015 world cup another 3 seasons of cricket he could be very close to Tendulkars 51 test Centuries. Kallis Should have 300+ test Wickets is well if he plays this long. A Legend of the game i would rate him in a similar batting abilty to tendulkar all round though kallis is better

POSTED BY
drx2009
on | November 12, 2012, 4:05 GMT

Everyone is saying here that warne and mcgrath had retired.So what does that mean they only retired for kallis and amla?People will retire at some point of their career.Kallis and Amla are the best in this era is not only because they scored runs at bouncy tracks which they are very much familiar to but also on subcontinent wickets where indian and pakistani spinners are dominant.If you say that warne and mcgrath retired then i would say malcom marshal,joel garner,denis lillee,richard hadlee,michael holding etc of old time greats also retired to give tendulkar,lara,dravid and others to score huge amount of runs.Last year the great world champions of one day cricket which is India is brutally clean sweeped by england and austrailia by 4-0.Where was tendulkar that time?They only won the world cup they are not the best team around.Amla and kallis are the biggest reason of south africa consistent performance. South africa hardly lose any match where other teams are losing matches in bundle

POSTED BY
on | November 12, 2012, 3:57 GMT

i will not say that tendulkar is not match winner he is real match winner but i will say certainly kallis is greatest ever player of this age if not greatest ever batsman his 280 wickets nd catches adds to his runs and he certainly becomes the greatest player of this age.................. and never forget that kallis played most of his cricket on quick south africa tracks and he has scored runs every where and against everyone whether it is slow turning tracks of india srilanka and dubai whether they r bouncy tracks of australia r they r swinging conditions of englad no doubt he u\is the greatest player after bradman and sobers

POSTED BY
bigmax
on | November 12, 2012, 2:34 GMT

Kallis is such an awesome cricketer...a one in a generation and a fine person

POSTED BY
harshab0
on | November 12, 2012, 1:13 GMT

Das paul

Check the stats before commenting my friend. Out of his 5 100s against Australia 3 tests included Warne and 2 with both McGrath and warne. When he got 100s against Pak it included Waqar, wasim. He got 4 100s against Windies that had Ambrose and walsh .

And for your world class spinner Kumble, he got 2 tons.

POSTED BY
BillyCC
on | November 11, 2012, 23:43 GMT

The last two days have confirmed for me a couple of key points about Jacques Kallis. Firstly, he is one of the greats of cricket. There can be no doubt that he is now up there with Sobers. It is the longevity that sets him apart and also the package (top order batting, second change bowling and slip fielding). Secondly, whilst his batting is up there, he is not at the top, probably mid-tier amongst the greats. An earlier comment sarcastically said the difference was that McGrath retired, Warne retired etc. Whilst that is quite harsh, the fact remains that Kallis' technique has always been good and that has stayed with him all this time. However, the amount of bad balls that he got from the Australians is a stark contrast to what was dished up by McGrath and Warne. Good quality bowling from that duo found him out consistently for the first ten years of his career. Contrast that with Lara/Tendulkar who had periods of excellence against those two (Tendulkar more) and that is a difference.

POSTED BY
Al_Bundy1
on | November 11, 2012, 23:34 GMT

When it comes to test cricket, Amla and Kallis are thetop batsmen in the world right now. 10dulkar and Sehwag are probably at the bottom.

POSTED BY
pronoysircar
on | November 11, 2012, 23:07 GMT

@SCC08 : If Sachin is not a team player, what exactly is he? I am a little confused here. Is it like, when anybody else scores runs , it adds to the team score, and when Sachin scores runs, not only do they not add to the team score, but they actually magically get converted into wads of cash that float into his bank account?

POSTED BY
binojpeter
on | November 11, 2012, 23:06 GMT

@nzcricket174 Was that statement of Kallis about this match? If that is the case, Kallis would have got his double hundred, if he had stayed till the end. SA did not even get 500. Your comment does not make any sense. Moreover Dravid got lot of opportunities to bat as long as he wanted from his captain Ganguly. I remember in one match against Zimbabwe, Ganguly waited till Dravid got his 200 to declare the innings and in another match against Pakistan, Ganguly delayed the declaration when he should have declared around 500-550 in hope that Dravid would reach his 300 but Dravid got out for 270. Captains always do that favor. So Tendulkar was naturally surprised. Why did Lara played till he got 400 to declare when clearly he should have declared much earlier? Why did Steve Waugh allow Hayden to score 380 against hapless Zimbabwe when he should have clearly declared much earlier?

POSTED BY
pronoysircar
on | November 11, 2012, 22:58 GMT

And let us assume for a moment that he did sulk. Surely, you agree that Sachin and Dravid have played for so long as to be more than just coworkers . Given that fact, surely whatever he said expressed to Dravid should not have made its way out to your ears , no? But the fact is, that it did, because this did make its way out to your ears as spicy gossip, that Dravid had incurred the wrath of Sachin by declaring the innings 6 runs early. How do you know that Kallis said whatever you think he said? Because that is the version that made its way out of the dressing room. And that is the whole problem with the indian dressing room. The utter lack of solidarity coupled with the fan's need for spicy gossip, and a media that feeds on this greed. Really, I do not think that Sachin's "selfishness" is the real problem. I mean I have heard many times that Kallis too is a selfish player. Truth be told, the kind of selfishness these players are accused of , I wish more players would have.

POSTED BY
pronoysircar
on | November 11, 2012, 22:50 GMT

@sameer1111111 : You must also remember that he was only 6 runs shy of a double. If I remember correctly Yuvraj and Sachin had been burning up the pitch going at almost 6 an over, and as soon as Yuvraj got out, the innings was declared. You seriously think in that case the innings could not have been prolonged by an over or two? Also, I find the position of the Indian public on Sachin filled with hypocrisy. People very easily call him a selfish player. If anybody else scores hundreds, it is "contributing to the team's cause" . When Sachin scores hundreds , however, it is evidence of his selfishness. Why exactly? Because he has more than a hundred of them?

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 22:38 GMT

Amla is only part of the reason.

Warne retired. McGrath retired. Murali retired. Kumble retired.

Do I need to state more on why averages over the last few years have been more than before?

POSTED BY
nzcricket174
on | November 11, 2012, 22:29 GMT

"Kallis had told the dressing room that he didn't want the time to go on to complete a third double-hundred, and would prefer Graeme Smith to declare if it meant the team would win" - what an awesome character! This also reminds me of another great player who had a wee cry when his captain declared while he was on 190.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 22:28 GMT

Finally the Guy is getting the recognization he has deserved now for long unlike some others!

POSTED BY
Syed_imran_abbas
on | November 11, 2012, 22:25 GMT

He is far better and valuable than sachin. he is match winner with bat and he bowls as well.

POSTED BY
Bonehead_maz
on | November 11, 2012, 21:19 GMT

I seem to remember Greg Chappell's last 4 test hundreds were 3 doubles and a 187 NO ? Long time since Ponting got a small hundred either. Once the end becomes obvious who wouldn't want to make every chance count ? Starts decrease and conversions increase with age.

In an attempt to bring things into perspective (pointless I know), Kallis is NOT Sth Africa's best ever batsman ! He may be their best right hander (hard to compare with Nourse and Barry Richards sadly doesn't count). Greame Pollock is best batsman from Sth Africa by quite some margin !

Kallis as an allrounder is a batsman who bowls ...... similar to say Eddie Barlow. Not sure if he is better than Barlow was.... while on that line Goddard and Proctor were also pretty handy allrounders from his country.

While relieved to see the channel 9 show rated Sobers above Kallis as an allrounder......... VERY disappointed that WG Grace didn't get a mention.... he was fairly obviously not a bad player at all !

POSTED BY
maddy20
on | November 11, 2012, 20:33 GMT

The Capetown game was a heartbreak for us Indian fans. At 130-6 many would have thought SA was done for and a first series win in SA looked imminent, only for it to be defied by a stubborn lower order + Kallis. A fantastic knock under pressure though. Regardless of what happens in Worldcups SA are no chokers when it comes to test cricket. They are tough as nails in this format and Aus will do well not write them off at any stage of the game, even if they somehow get a strangle hold on them.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 19:52 GMT

Kallis is the fittest player, a very average player initially, very selfish at the start of his career but with his constant hard work, he has reached a stage where he can be count among all time greats of the world.....
Now he has changed his game a lot, and gud thing is he is still improving unlike ponting or sachin.....so enjoy his peak.....at age of 35-37 or even later....

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 19:42 GMT

I was at Kingsmead in 1995 when Kallis made his debut, he was so small and thin, and got caught behind for 1 against England. I was also at Kingsmead when Hashim made his first-class debut, in a tour match against England at age 16. So honored to have seen the start of something spectacular for world cricket.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 18:53 GMT

@Sameer 11111 Absolutely Spot on! Kudos for calling spade a spade. I too remember that gentleman scorching like anything when he was denied the chance. Strange. What kind of world do we live in.

POSTED BY
SCC08
on | November 11, 2012, 18:24 GMT

Simple question.. To all you Sachin fans who post on every blog about your "God" regardless of the post itself: Question: who would you rather have in your team? Kallis - more reliable batter, bowler and brilliant slip fielder and TEAM PLAYER . Or Sachin who bats for himself? Simple answer.... Well, for everyone in the world execpt Indians..

POSTED BY
suraj71
on | November 11, 2012, 18:01 GMT

just 23 behind rahul dravid kallis will soon become the player with most catches in test cricket ...just another feather in the bag for a great player

POSTED BY
NaniIndCri
on | November 11, 2012, 17:42 GMT

You can spin it whichever way you want but Kallis has already spoken about his improved strike rate and he attributed it to T20 cricket.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 17:09 GMT

Excellent and well thought article. Very intriguing insights on world's best.

POSTED BY
sameer111111
on | November 11, 2012, 16:58 GMT

" Kallis had told the dressing room that he didn't want the time to go on to complete a third double-hundred, and would prefer Graeme Smith to declare if it meant the team would win " - I am suddenly reminded of another so called great cricketer, who in a similar circumstance went through a mighty sulk when denied his double century.

POSTED BY
AncientAstronaut
on | November 11, 2012, 16:29 GMT

Kallis is undoubtedly a legend. When you think about it, he's a little bit underrated. When we talk about modern legends, we talk about are Tendulkar, Lara, and Ponting, but Kallis has time and again proven that he's a better batsman - and he and can bowl too!

POSTED BY
IndCricFan2013
on | November 11, 2012, 16:21 GMT

Kallis a super star, SA's best cricketer ever, SA's Bradman. Unbelievable in-terms of fitness to keep playing in all 3 formats, IPL, etc. Imagine, if Some one else was at 3 thorough giving solidity, Kallis would have achieved much more. This makes you think how lucky Tendulkar is to have Dravid coming in at 3 and also the likes of Laxman and Ganguly to follow. No wonder not only individual skills, but how others perform around you makes a huge difference in team sports.

POSTED BY
Sobhan_Sachinfan
on | November 11, 2012, 16:03 GMT

Both of them are excellent players and exceptionally talented. Like Dravid and Sachin pair these are also rare combination of quality players. Kallis comes very much close to 'Cricket God of India' ,Sachin, in Tests. But I am not sure whether he can overtake him. (My name itself suggests) SACHIN is the ALL TIME GREAT ONE-DAY BATSMAN and 'One of the Greatest' Test batsman EVER.

POSTED BY
s3ns3
on | November 11, 2012, 15:35 GMT

You may want to give credit to Dravid, but WADA might be the real reason than No.3. The result might prove you right, but the reasoning is flawed.

POSTED BY
Jaguar_xyz
on | November 11, 2012, 15:09 GMT

In the next couple of yrs, Kallis would certainly cross Tendulkar's TEST record of most runs/centuries. In a few more years down the line Amla will be holding that record. Both of them are batting on a different planet these days.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 15:07 GMT

very well said @spelele.kallis is the all time greatest allrounder

POSTED BY
YogifromNY
on | November 11, 2012, 15:07 GMT

Richard Booth - could not agree with you more. Kallis is really two great players rolled into one. As a batsman, he would walk into any side in the world as a first choice #3. And he would get selected as a bowler and fielder alone in almost any side in the world. For the record, his batting stats are eerily similar to Sachin Tendulkar's. AND - he has got 280 or so Test wickets and held a number of sharp catches, which takes his value to his team way past Tendulkar's to the Indian side. I would almost argue he is a better all-rounder than Garry Sobers, perhaps? For the record, I am a US-based supporter of the Indian team.

POSTED BY
Spelele
on | November 11, 2012, 14:54 GMT

They are unarguably the best number 3 and 4 in the world at the moment :) Kallis is simply awesome! Today, he showed us why he is weigh ahead of the overrated Ponting who scored almost all his runs when there were great batsmen around him. As a cricketer, he is also miles ahead of the so-called 'demi-gods' of cricket.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 14:39 GMT

Well old saying hunting in pairs ... thats what both these doing these days.
Waseem and waqar use to do that for Pakistan while bowling together :)

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 14:24 GMT

Kallis is the sort of player that will never be appreciated until he retires and the void has to be filled. To many he is viewed as a batsman who can bowl a bit but he has been one of the few true all-rounders of recent decades. Awesome with the bat and when his form dipped he STILL picked up wickets AND held his catches in the slips. It could be argued I am looking with rose tinted specs but as an Englishman I know he would be my first name down in any World XI.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 14:19 GMT

AMLA effects.........one of the greats.......The Proteas have become even more deadly now...

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 13:58 GMT

super article....and so true...Amla has been great for King Kallis....no reason why Amla shouldn't exceed King Kallis in terms of runs, it will be tough...think Amla has one of the best techniques in the game...

POSTED BY
manak_18
on | November 11, 2012, 13:57 GMT

it is like sachin improving his figures with a better line -up to support him

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 13:52 GMT

Hashim Amla has had a telling effect on the Proteas top order. Compelling evidence. I'm sure even Dravid contributed to Tendulkar similarly.

POSTED BY
sasi
on | November 11, 2012, 13:22 GMT

well amla and kallis have scored runs to lay a solid platform, but one some not forget the impact de villers has had tooon kallis's career ( prince also to a certain degree) kallis and de villers have romped on the advantage and set up games for SA, like gilly would do for Oz,

POSTED BY
avmd
on | November 11, 2012, 13:05 GMT

Until now, Tendulkar's record of test centuries was untouchable, but the way, Kallis is going these days, who knows. Don't think Indian will add anymore to his tally but South African can easily score 6-7 more in 2-3 years he has left in him.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 12:54 GMT

This article is the answer to those who says kallis is selfish or plays to slow.

POSTED BY
punter-gilly-haydos-mcgrath-warne
on | November 11, 2012, 12:46 GMT

Amla is not only a very good stroke maker but he also very good and drying up the bowlers and forcing them to bowl to his likings. I think that is what the Australians have to do, not learn from his stroke play but learning how to dry up the bowlers and getting them to bowl where you want. Warner showed how not to do it, he was just to impatient and had a poke. Where is Justin Langer has he taught the younger batsmen anything since the tour of the WIs? I think the CA need to recruit Steve Waugh as a batting couch he will teach the batsmen to be gritty and not give away their wickets.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 12:42 GMT

undoubtedly the best no. 3 & 4 in the world

No featured comments at the moment.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 12:42 GMT

undoubtedly the best no. 3 & 4 in the world

POSTED BY
punter-gilly-haydos-mcgrath-warne
on | November 11, 2012, 12:46 GMT

Amla is not only a very good stroke maker but he also very good and drying up the bowlers and forcing them to bowl to his likings. I think that is what the Australians have to do, not learn from his stroke play but learning how to dry up the bowlers and getting them to bowl where you want. Warner showed how not to do it, he was just to impatient and had a poke. Where is Justin Langer has he taught the younger batsmen anything since the tour of the WIs? I think the CA need to recruit Steve Waugh as a batting couch he will teach the batsmen to be gritty and not give away their wickets.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 12:54 GMT

This article is the answer to those who says kallis is selfish or plays to slow.

POSTED BY
avmd
on | November 11, 2012, 13:05 GMT

Until now, Tendulkar's record of test centuries was untouchable, but the way, Kallis is going these days, who knows. Don't think Indian will add anymore to his tally but South African can easily score 6-7 more in 2-3 years he has left in him.

POSTED BY
sasi
on | November 11, 2012, 13:22 GMT

well amla and kallis have scored runs to lay a solid platform, but one some not forget the impact de villers has had tooon kallis's career ( prince also to a certain degree) kallis and de villers have romped on the advantage and set up games for SA, like gilly would do for Oz,

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 13:52 GMT

Hashim Amla has had a telling effect on the Proteas top order. Compelling evidence. I'm sure even Dravid contributed to Tendulkar similarly.

POSTED BY
manak_18
on | November 11, 2012, 13:57 GMT

it is like sachin improving his figures with a better line -up to support him

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 13:58 GMT

super article....and so true...Amla has been great for King Kallis....no reason why Amla shouldn't exceed King Kallis in terms of runs, it will be tough...think Amla has one of the best techniques in the game...

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 14:19 GMT

AMLA effects.........one of the greats.......The Proteas have become even more deadly now...

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 14:24 GMT

Kallis is the sort of player that will never be appreciated until he retires and the void has to be filled. To many he is viewed as a batsman who can bowl a bit but he has been one of the few true all-rounders of recent decades. Awesome with the bat and when his form dipped he STILL picked up wickets AND held his catches in the slips. It could be argued I am looking with rose tinted specs but as an Englishman I know he would be my first name down in any World XI.